Crescendo
by LightYagamisHair
Summary: Light Yagami is one of the best musicians in Japan, with L Lawliet being the only person better than him. As he competes with L for the title of best violin player, the competition turns into more than what either of them were expecting.


_**Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. -Plato**_

 _As I glide my bow over the strings of my violin, a deep calmness overtakes me. It is a nice feeling; one that I feel often, but one that I can only recreate with music. I hit a low, long note that marks the end of the piece. I carry out the decrescendo as I near the end. My hand gently shakes the bow for the vibrato at the very end of the pitch. I smile, looking at the sheet of music that was in front of me. Yes, it was a piece of paper, but this music carried a piece of my heart. Music is a beautiful thing, and it pains me to see it taken so lightly. Music has the power to make you feel what you could have never felt, or make you see what you have never seen. It is something that can cause happiness and sadness with one note. It can change the way you think or the way you act. It is an amazing thing, and I am extremely grateful that it is something I have the pleasure of hearing every day._

"Light!" called my sister from downstairs. "Dinner's ready! C'mon!"

I sighed, setting my violin down on my bed, reminding myself to polish it later.

"I'm coming, Sayu," I said as I closed the door to my room. Sayu was starting to learn how to play the piano after expressing an interest in music a few months ago. Although she's not the best, she has been working hard and making her way to the top.

She stood at the last step, looking up at me with a grin. "Have you been practicing all day, Light? You should really get out more! Have you gotten a girlfriend yet?" she asked with a laugh.

I rolled my eyes, walking to the dinner table. "Maybe you should think about finding a boyfriend," I replied as I sat down across from my father.

"Boyfriend? Why would I need a boyfriend when I can have Hideki Ryuga right here?" she asked, gesturing to the television.

"A _real_ boyfriend, Sayu," I said. "Not an actor you pretend to date." Sayu probably knew more about Hideki Ryuga than he even knew about himself. Her room was plastered with photos and posters of Hideki Ryuga, and she had every single one of his movies on DVD.

"Light, I heard you playing upstairs. You sounded wonderful," my mother said as she set down the plates of food on the table. My mother used to play the harp in her high school orchestra, and she was very good. She quit after getting married so that she could spend more time with her family.

"Thanks," I replied. "I just hope I'm good enough to make it into the To-Oh Musical Academy. They don't take in many new players."

"I'm sure you will," my father said. "And soon after you might make it into the Tokyo Orchestra."

"You can always just take him in now," Sayu interjected. "I mean, you _are_ the director of the orchestra, Dad!"

"Well, that's true, but he has to get in just like everyone else. It wouldn't be as impressive if I simply let him in."

"Yeah, Dad's right Sayu. It would look so much more impressive if I got in based on my skill as a musician."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's eat!"

During dinner, most of the discussion was about the audition that I had tomorrow to get in to To-Oh Musical Academy. Sayu was incredibly optimistic, telling me that I wouldn't even have to try and they'd still let me in. My father told me that I had nothing to worry about, and my mother said the same.

"So how are you doing on piano?" I asked Sayu. "I heard that you're getting a lot better."

"Yep! I'm working on harder music now. My lesson teacher said that the other stuff was way too easy."

"Good job, Sayu," I said. "You'll be the best in no time!" I was definitely proud of Sayu for all of her hard work, but I didn't really think that she would be the best, especially when she would rather be watching Hideki Ryuga movies all day than practicing.

"Thanks, Light!" she said with a smile. "But it'll take a lot of practice for me to be the best. Natsumi from school is already playing Beethoven."

"With a lot of hard work, you'll beat Natsumi in no time!"

* * *

After dinner, I washed my plate and headed back to my room to practice for tomorrow's audition. The piece was simple. Sixteenth note rhythms that were staccato with occasional slurs in between.

I picked up my violin, looking it over. It cost a bit more than the average violin, and I had to save up for a few years, but it was worth it. The wood had a simple but elegant design. The strings were soft and gentle, just like the music I played.

I placed my bow on the strings and began to play the quick-paced etude. Not one note was missed, and everything sounded perfect. Well, almost perfect. In music, nothing can ever truly be perfect because there are always changes that could be made to make it sound even better. That's what I love most about it. No matter how good you are, you can always improve. For instance, there could've been a legato marking on the second to last note. That would have added a greater effect on the final staccato note.

After I cleaned it, I put my violin back in its case and turned on my T.V. to watch the Tokyo Orchestra. They were absolutely amazing, especially the first chair violinist, L Lawliet. Not only was his playing beautiful, but so was the instrument he played on. His violin was white with a calligraphic "L" in the corner. The thing must've cost a fortune, but that's not surprising considering how much he gets paid for his performances. My goal was to beat him out of his position as first chair, and to do that, I would have to devote all the time I had to getting better at the violin.

As I continued to watch the orchestra play, I watched L as he performed a solo. The camera zoomed in on him. His long fingers hit the strings so elegantly in a way that would make you think that he was born to play the violin. Most players moved around when they played, but L Lawliet did not. He remained calm and still, with his upper body being the only thing that moved.

From what I had heard, he was the best player in the world. Not only was he in the Tokyo Orchestra, but he performed in many other orchestras, as well.

Yes, I idolized Lawliet. He was what I wanted to become, but also, I had to beat him. I wanted to be the on that stage playing a solo, and I would give up just about anything to be better than the best.

* * *

The next day, I woke up at eight AM, ready for my audition. I took a shower and got dressed before walking downstairs to see my family waiting for me in the living room.

"Good luck, Light!" said Sayu. "You'll do great!"

"Do your best. I want to see your name at the top of that score sheet," said my father with a smile.

I nodded. "I won't let you down. I"ve been practicing for a while now. I even have the music memorized."

My mother and I walked out to the car and I put my violin in the back of the car and got inside.

"Ready?" she asked, adjusting the mirror.

I nodded and she started the car, driving me to To-Oh Musical Academy where the auditions would take place.

"Good luck!" she said, driving off.

I walked inside and a young male walked up to me handing me a sticker that said my name. "You're in room A-twenty-eight. You should hurry, though. Auditions start in fifteen minutes."

"I planned to get here late," I replied, putting the sticker on my chest. "I didn't want to wait."

I walked to the room that the violin auditions were being held in. Most of the people inside looked scared to death. A few were shaking because of how nervous they were, and a small percentage, including myself, knew they had nothing to worry about.

"Atsuko, Gorou."

A boy walked up to the music stand, putting the etude on it. He was obviously nervous, and definitely going to miss a few notes.

"You may begin."

He started playing, and the beginning wasn't too bad. Once he got to the faster part, however, everything went downhill. Once he was done, he kept his eyes glued to the floor in shame. If I were him, I would've done the same.

The next person to play was a girl named Masami who did better then Gorou, but not by much. Her rhythms were off in the third measure, and she didn't play most of the notes staccato like she was supposed to.

After listening to terrible auditions (and a couple okay ones), it was finally my turn to play. I walked to the music stand and put my sheet on it, taking a deep breath before I began. Once I started, the entire room went completely silent. I didn't miss one note, and played everything exactly how it was on the page. Once I finished, I took my music and sat down, waiting for some kind of reply. There was none besides a small gasp from a girl in the back.

Once the last person had played, we were all dismissed. It took a couple hours for the results to be posted, and once they were, everyone immediately ran towards them. I stayed where I was, knowing that someone would mention me at some point. Only the top five people in each room made it in to To-Oh, and I wondered who else I would be with.

"Light Yagami was number one in the violin room," said Gorou, the boy from earlier. "That doesn't surprise me, though. He was amazing."

I smiled slightly to myself, standing up and grabbing my violin case. Right before I was about to leave, I was stopped. "Nice job, Light," said Kiyomi Takada, a friend of mine since sophomore year of high school. "Looks like we'll be seeing each other at To-Oh."

"Where you number one in your room too?" I asked, even though I knew she would be.

"Yes, there wasn't really much competition in the cello room," she replied.

"There wasn't much competition in the violin room either," I said. "Some people came completely unprepared."

"Someone in the cello room fainted," said Kiyomi with a small laugh.

"Really? I expected some of the people in my room to do the same. Well, I have to go, but I'll see you at To-Oh."

"See you at To-Oh."

* * *

"Light, I knew you'd make first chair! I knew it! You're so amazing and talented! You'll be the best player in Japan, maybe even the whole world! And you can-"

"Sayu, that's enough," said my father. "We all knew Light would do well. Congratulations on making first chair, Light," he said.

"Thanks," I replied. "I couldn't have done it without you reminding me to practice, though."

"Your first day at To-Oh starts next week," said my mother with a smile. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom," I said. "I can't wait to go there. I've been wanting to for a while now."

"You know, a lot of people at To-Oh immediately get into the Tokyo Orchestra," said Soichiro. "For instance, do you know about L Lawliet?"

"Yeah, he's amazing," I replied.

"He made it into the orchestra his first year at To-Oh. He was the first person to ever do that, and maybe you will be the next."

"I hope so. L is an amazing player, and I want to be as good as him someday, and maybe even better."

"I'm sure you will."

* * *

Once I went back to my room, all I could think about was what To-Oh would be like. All of the best players in Japan would be there, and I wanted to be number one. I wanted to beat everyone else, and soon after that, be even better than L Lawliet.

I stared up at the ceiling in thought, wondering what L was doing right then. Was he practicing? Probably. Maybe he was performing. He only performs in the orchestras that he's interested in, and he probably gets paid a ton for just showing up.

One day that would be me, and that day will be soon.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

 **Hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter of _Crescendo._ I've had this idea for a while, so now I'm finally writing it out. It would be amazing if someone made some cover art for this, because I can't draw.**

 **Anyway, if you have any questions about the story, ask me! And if you enjoyed the story, leave a review!**


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